Tactical Decisions
by Arvindr
Summary: Jaune Arc has just received a mysterious new class, much more different than the regular classes that his friends have on their schedules. As he falls into the world of politics and leadership, he grows by heaps and bounds. But for whose cause? And why? (No pairings as of yet) NOTE: This is my first fanfic so please do give a read with review!
1. Start Up

**_Chapter 1: Start Up_**

 _"Unit 1 and 3, flank left!"_

Swift movements obscured the behemoth sized Death Stalker, as it made large grabbing motions with its pincers, only grabbing air.

 _"Unit 4, charge forward!"_

A quick shadow rushed from above the grimm. It noticed the movement as it coiled its giant barb tipped tail to strike.

 _Unit 2, NOW!"_

Suddenly the tail was soaring through the air as a swift strike cut it clean off. The larger than usual Death Stalker screeched in pain, thrashing its body around. However, this gave the chance needed from the strike in the air to collide right in between its eyes. With a sickening crunch followed with a slam, the Death Stalkers body slumped and folded inwards, much like a tin can.

 _"Nice!"_ A loud, somewhat high pitched male voice cheered in triumph, before feeling an ominous feeling behind him.

 _"Leader! Watch out!"_ A quick claw thrust into the male's chest, giving him no reaction time. He managed a barely audible gasp as his pupils shrunk. As the grimm removed its claw almost as fast as it had entered, the young man felt his body shuddered as his eyes rolled back in his head, his vision slowly fading as the Beowolf appeared to be readying another strike.

 _"NOOOOOO!"_

* * *

"And why would you propose such a thing?"

"Face it Ozpin. You and I both know what's coming and we have very little time to prepare. It's either now or never."

Two figures were staring each other down inside a large, unusual office. The turning sound of gears could be heard in unitary movement, and the stars overhead of the glass ceiling illuminated the room. One man sat down behind a very mechanical looking desk, with his fingers crossed into each other as he locked eyes with the other man. He wore a very formal green suit with a stylish scarf. While appearing at first glance to be a young man maybe in his twenties, the look in his eyes revealed he was much, much older. Across from him stood a very upright man. Wearing a white generals attire, he looking down at Ozpin with no disrespect, but certainly no fondness either. With streaks of white in his clean cut hair, he looked as if he was being aged by stress not at all by age.

"So you are telling me that you want to do this of your own free will. To _help_ us. Why? What's in it for you?" Ozpin held his gaze at the other man, not even blinking as his green glasses sat on his nose.

"I've already gotten clearance from the other kingdoms. They all think it's a fine idea. And it isn't to help you, it's to help all of us. Ozpin, time is short. You need to make a decision." The man moved his arms as he talked, as if he were speaking to a crowd of people and persuading them to join his cause. Never once though did he risk breaking eye contact with the other man sitting down known as Ozpin. Not when he has come this far. He NEEDS him on his side.

"And who would pull this off and organize everything. Hm?"

"I would."

Ozpin allowed a slight amount of surprise to enter his eyes, before quickly suppressing it. To think, him of all people would take the time to assist students to this extent...

"And who exactly do you want for this program? I'm sure a student from your own kingdom, so that you can add to your little corps." Ozpin hissed, clearly getting defensive.

"No. Not this time. I'm not looking for an elite. I am going to MAKE an elite. I need someone with promise. Capability. Untapped potential. Someone who has not gotten a clear path decided for them like we all have." Ironwood dropped his arms as he looked at Ozpin, slowly walking towards his once comrade. As he placed his hands on the desk, he bowed his head and closed his eyes. "Please Ozpin... This is the right thing to do. We need more capable huntsmen who aren't just huntsmen, but leaders."

Ozpin stared at him before eventually sighing and leaning back in his char as he grabbed hold of his mug filled with coffee. "...Very well then." Ironwood snapped his head up in full attention. "However, I do have one condition. _I_ get to choose the student, is that understood?" Ironwood took a few steps away from Ozpin as he smiled.

"Understandably. Who did you have in mind?"

Ozpin sipped on his coffee as he quickly swiped through the scroll that laid on his desk. The new students had just finished their initiation exams in the forever fall forest. He analyzed each video feed with lightning fast analysis, sorting through about 1500 minutes of footage from throughout the forest during the exam. He saw techniques that he could only nod at, as well as bravery that caught his eye. There was one individual however, that stuck with him even as he opened the scroll and swiped through the videos. "This young man right here." Ozpin raised the scroll so Ironwood could get a clear view of the subject. He was holding his sword high as his head was turned clearly giving orders to the people around him.

"He seems like quite the candidate Ozpin. I'll gladly accept." Ironwood took the scroll as he began to view pieces of footage about the young man.

"Ironwood?"

Ironwood turned around to face Ozpin as the battle footage loaded.

"No take backs." With a devious smile Ozpin sipped on his coffee. Slowly moving his downwards at the scroll as if his neck had to be forced to move, he watched as the blonde practically ran away from the whole fight, screaming his head off the whole time. The next slide was no better, neither was the next, or the next. Placing a hand on his temple he groaned quite loudly as Ozpin chuckled, turning to face the exterior of the office.

 _Some time later..._

As Ironwood boarded his private bullhead, he kept reviewing Jaune Arc's videos and transcripts. Clearly, the boy had forged his own transcripts and snuck his way into Beacon, yet Ozpin should have already noticed this... So why was he handing the boy over to him? Maybe.. He saw something in him? No, that can't be right. Because he's an Arc? Frustrated, Ironwood snapped the scroll shut as he sat in his personal recliner aboard the vessel as it took off back to Atlas. 'Very well Ozpin. I'll play along. Mr. Arc WILL be a tactician. And he will be mine.'

 **AN: Hi! This here is my first ever fanfiction! I wanted to release this chapter to see if maybe I should keep going along with it. I'll probably update soon, especially depending on response. I'm a new author so please review and give me some critiques so I can make the story even better! I should probably explain a little bit about the story and what I'm going with before I continue huh? This is an AU where Ironwood arranges a new type of curriculum for all of the kingdoms in which they train one of their students to become skilled tacticians. I'm going to try to keep this as canon as possible but once again, this is a fanfiction right? So anyways, I drew a lot of inspiration from Warhammer 40k, RWBY (of course), Fire Emblem, and from an old fanfiction called "Jaune Arc, Tactician" by Lord Forehead. It hasn't been picked up in a long time but it is definitely worth a read. The inspiration to take Jaune and mold him into a tactician came from there actually, so a big thank you to you Lord Forehead. Anyways, please do review this and tell me what you think, and until next time!**


	2. 2: A New Class?

**_AN: Hi_** **everyone! I'd like to thank you all for such an overwhelming amount of reception. To be totally honest I didn't think this story would get any attention. Thank you to Guest who pointed out a bit of an error last chapter in the formatting, which helped me fix it so it was easier to read and understand. Thank you to Chib6 and Acerman for the reviews, and thank you to everyone who actually took time out of their lives to read this. So anyways, I put a lot of time and effort into this chapter to kind of set the stage to the story. Sorry for all the introductions and whatnot, but I felt like it was really proper. Please do enjoy!**

* * *

 _Chapter 2: A New Class?_

" **All students please report to the front offices to receive your new schedules. I repeat, all students-** "

A booming feminine voice echoed throughout the halls of the prestigious Beacon Academy as students were casually walking about. After the initiation test and the team ceremonies, the students of Beacon were given a day off to receive all of their new classes and become acquainted with the layout of the school as well as where they will be living for the next few years. This was also a bonding experience for the new first year teams, as many of them were likely to have never met one another before.

"Come ooooooooon guys! We have got to get all of our classes so we can scout out any potential ENEMIES!" A ginger haired, pink clad girl was jumping about a group of students as they walked steadily through the halls, following a map on their scrolls.

"Nora," a young man with a calm expression stated. "They're going to be our classmates. You can't blow them up." The boy hung in the back of the group, but it was VERY obvious to the other two students that the hyperactive girl known as Nora seemed to gravitate towards him. He wore a green oriental style of clothes, seeming to be fitted for combat. While his hair was black, there was a magenta shaded strand of hair in the very front of his face.

A redheaded warrior simply smiled before calmly saying, "Yes well, I certainly do look forward to meeting them. Our classmates, that is." She was wearing an intricate set of clothing with mixtures of red, brown, and bronze. The most prominent feature she wore was a kind of bronze circlet that she wore under her bangs.

"Hey guys?" A slightly high pitched voice came from the front of the group. The other three team members stopped, wondering what their new leader had to say. As he turned around to face them, any passerby student would have sworn that he was a random kid from the city who had wandered into a state of the art battle school for hunters and huntresses. He was wearing jeans and a black hoodie, with a breastplate and shoulder pauldrons over it. His hair was rather messy (despite him _insisting_ that he does comb it) and his eyes were a naive blue.

"Yes Jaune?" The warrior known as Phyrrha answered to her partner.

"Um… I think we're in the wrong building. That sign said 'Cafeteria" on it."

The group stood there for several seconds, staring at each other blankly before muttering a simultaneous, "Oh."

The team, after about thirty minutes of asking around, map studying, and guesswork, managed to somehow backtrack several buildings past before reaching the offices, located at the very front of the school.

"Honestly, how could we have missed this." Ren muttered meekly before being shoved by Nora who threw one hand up in the air as if answering the teacher's question.

"That's because everything has been swapped inside out by the wizard of the castle, DUH."

Jaune just kind of raised an eyebrow at the seemingly obvious answer as Ren sighed while Phyrrha chuckled to herself. As they neared the office, Jaune could feel his hands begin to sweat a bit underneath his "combat" gloves that he wore. While he had somehow managed to slip his way into Beacon, while also surviving being hurtled hundreds of feet through the air (thanks to Phyrrha), fighting of Beowolves (thanks to Phyrrha), a Death Stalker (thanks to Phyrrha), and a Nevermore (also thanks to Pyrrha), Jaune couldn't help but feel he really, _really_ didn't belong here. Besides the fact that he basically cheated his way in, he hadn't really thought too deeply on the consequences of actually getting in in the first place. He clearly was not ready for any of the classes that they would throw at him, and once the teachers realize how far behind he is, they would realize something was up sooner or later. 'Okay Jaune, get a hold of yourself. It's not going to come to that. Just be cool, and talk you way through this.'

The team collected their schedules from a very friendly receptionist (whom Jaune that was quite cute but clearly did not appreciate his introduction) and began analyzing them in a circle. "It seems we all have about the same classes." Phyrrha noticed as they went through their six periods one by one.

"Obviously, so we can all be together!" Nora added in cheerfully before stealing a sheepish glance towards Ren who was attempting to draw out the best routes from class to class. "But not like, together together. Ehehe…"

Jaune laughed slightly while glancing over his own schedule. 'This is great! Maybe with Phyrra I can find a way to totally not fail every class. It looks like we're all in the same cla-' Jaunes thought was ran short as he noticed a strange sixth period on his paper, with a star in ink scribbled next to it. "Tactics… Training? I don't remember that on the brochure…" Jaune looked to find a room number only to be greeted by a blank space in the paper. "Hey guys, what's up with this sixth period?"

Nora nodded quickly as if in deep thought. "Mhm. Who needs a dust handling class anyways? It's not so hard, you just make things go BOOM."

"Why Jaune, is something the matter?" Pyrrha asked inquisitively.

Jaune simply handed the other three his paper as they all saw his different class. "Maybe it is for team leaders only?" Speculated Ren, as he peered at the paper as if it was possible to decode such a thing. "I don't think so," Phyrrha added, "all teams usually have the same classes in order to promote team bonding. It doesn't make sense to isolate the leaders. At least, that has always been my understanding." Jaune kind of shrugged it off and smiled at his team to try and ignore it.

"I'm sure it's not a big deal. It's probably like, an error or something. Come on, let's go check out some of our classes."

As the team walked around exploring much of the campus (which Nora _insisted_ was her castle, much to Ren's dismay and Jaune's amusement), Jaune couldn't help but shake off the worry of his sixth period. Not because of him being special, but because of the possibility that he might be found out. 'Oh my Oum, I wonder if this is how they weed them out… The headmaster was watching the whole test he's got to know somethings up… Oh man what did I get myself into?' As Jaune's expression continuously became more and more depressed, Phyrrha couldn't help but notice her leader and partner's worry, most likely about that sixth period. Still, there wasn't a whole lot she could really help with since classes wouldn't start for another day.

"Mr. Jaune Arc."

The team turned behind them as they were just passing a giant fountain with a monument of three hunters and huntresses on it as they saw none other than-

"Y-yes h-headmaster?" Jaune's voice was barely even a squeak as he practically squirmed in his shoes.

"Come to my office. I have something I need to discuss with you."

As Ozpin promptly turned on his heel and began nonchalantly walking towards his tower, Jaune began sweating profusely.

'I am SO dead.'

* * *

 **AN: And that's that! By next chapter we'll get into the more "tactics" part of the story, which is why many of you actually clicked on the link! I really hope you guys enjoyed that, and please do review. Anything I need to work on, suggestions, anything at all! The reason I began writing this was A) to tell this story I had in my head and B) to improve my writing skills. So thank you all very much for reading this! Also, I don't have any clear upload calendar time, I do usually write for about 30-45 minutes before I go to bed though every night, so maybe a every 3 days kind of thing depending on my school schedule? See you all next time!**


	3. 3: Ozpin

**AN: Hello guys! Thank you all again for the amount of reads that Tactical Decisions has gained! I really, really appreciate it. Now then, onto a few callouts...**

 **LaughingLefou: Ah, thank you! I've never really paid attention to the H in her name, but I did correct my mistakes! During this chapter I also noticed that I made the same mistake and caught myself lol**

 **Acerman: Oooh, you definitely caught on! Hopefully I was still able to do some justice to the scene and put a slightly humorous spin on it!**

 **So! Enough with the notes and onto the chapter! I really hope you readers enjoy this, it's time to finish up the introductions and get on to _some_ plot!**

 _ **Chapter 3: Ozpin**_

As Jaune stood still, waiting for whatever punishment the headmaster came up with, he quickly evaluated his situation. 'Right… Okay so he definitely knows about the transcripts, so maybe I should just come clean!' He smiled to himself before quickly dismissing the thought with a shake of his head. 'Yeah right, like that'll go well. Hi! I cheated my way into an institute that only holds students of the highest caliber! Like THAT'LL go well…'

Jaune felt himself squirm in his shoes as the headmaster sipped his coffee nonchalantly, seeming to treat Jaune's visit as nothing more than an average day at the lounge. As Ozpin swiped through his handheld scroll's daily news, he glanced over at the young warrior standing in front of him. While he had baggy clothing, Ozpin's veteran eyes could clearly tell that there was little to no muscle mass underneath. Based on his stance, he has had no skill training and not prepared to fight. And yet… 'His eyes. They're naive and innocent but… There is a wisdom in there that I haven't seen since HIM.'

Ozpin finally set down his coffee mug and scroll and looked up at the now shaking Jaune. "Mr. Jaune Arc." The sudden words caused Jaune to practically jump out of his skin as he kept his eyes facing forward as he gave a shaky, "Y-yes sir?" Ozpin raised an eyebrow at this but continued. "Do you honestly think, with all my years of experience, that I wouldn't find out about you?"

'Oh god, here it is! I'm dead, I'm so dead!'

"I don't know about where you come from, but here at Beacon, we keep a VERY close eye on all of our students. So if something is amiss… Even the slightest detail, we do find out about it." Ozpin stood from his chair and walked slowly around the table, holding eye contact with Jaune who was now pale and sweating. "And that is why you are here today Mr. Arc. Because I know. And that is why y-"

"I'M REALLY SORRY!" Jaune practically exploded as he threw his hands to cover his face as he was practically dry sobbing. Ozpin looked taken back, as Jaune continued, "I just really wanted to become a hunter you know? I mean my great great great grandfather was one and I'm not that great, at least in that sense of greats and I-"

"Jaune."

"-just wanted to do something you know? I mean my sisters are all huntresses so why can't I be? Sure I've never been to school for it but I thought that maybe I can pick up on it you know? With enough practice and training? I just really wanted-

"Jaune."

"- to become a great hero like in all the stories I read and I thought yeah this is it! This is how I can maybe kinda try to-"

With a quick snap of his fingers, Ozpin startled the now ranting Jaune. Ozpin smirked as he continued where he left off. "And that is why you will be the first Beacon student to ever be enrolled in our new class."

Jaune stood there completely frozen by shock. The only audible sound he could conjure was, "Hibeyahuh?"

Ozpin sighed and smiled a bit. "Yes I do know about your transcripts. But frankly, that is for another time. You have been selected as the representative from Beacon Academy to attend a brand new class. Your… Peers will be other students all representing their own schools." Ozpin walked back to his desk and steadily lowered himself back into his chair before reaching for his coffee. "You should consider yourself quite lucky you know. After your class, this program will most likely become nonexistent."

Jaune finally pulled himself out of his trance before shooting towards Ozpin's desk, slamming his hands down on it. "What? I don't understand, I can't, I mean, why me?"

Ozpin raised a hand to calm the panicking and confused student before giving Jaune a serious and knowing look. "You have been selected for your potential. I see something in you Jaune. Something that is quite rare. I wouldn't look too deeply into it if I were you."

Jaune backed away slightly, before looking down to the floor. Potential? Him? "Sorry, but that's not me. I can't… Do much besides be a joke."

Ozpin eyed the student carefully. Clearly he doubted himself. For good reason too. Afterall, every other student his age were leagues ahead of him, out performing him in strength, skill, and knowledge. "Do not doubt yourself. Simply… Keep walking." Ozpin spun his chair around, signaling the end of the conversation.

Jaune looked up at Ozpin's back before dragging his feet towards the door. As he laid his hand on the doorknob he thought to himself, 'Ozpin see's something in me? Maybe… Yeah maybe he's right! After all, I am _pretty_ cool. Yeah! I got this. Sure, why not?' As he began leaving Jaune glanced over at Ozpin, still facing the window. "Hey headmaster? What am I going to be learning exactly?"

Ozpin made no movement or sound, and for a while Jaune thought he should just leave. After a few moments Ozpin finally said, "Tactics, Jaune. They are going to make you a tactician. A leader." Jaune closed the door quickly, taking it that the headmaster didn't want to talk anymore.

* * *

As Jaune was walking on the street below his view, Ozpin only stared after Jaune's silly, overly cheery figure. "Like a pig to slaughter…"

* * *

Jaune's team seemed to take the news about the new class quite well. It was night time and they had all met up at their dorm getting ready for bed.

"So it is a leaders class after all." Ren nodded to himself as he folded his uniform neatly beside his bed. It seems being partially correct gave the green ninja some kind of… Satisfaction? Jaune made a mental note about his new teammate. Although they had spent one night together, they were all still practically strangers (aside from Ren and Nora apparently.)

"Well, this will certainly be an excellent opportunity for you, oh fearless leader." Phyrrha added in, smiling a bit at her jab that Jaune could only elbow her a bit for.

"Yeah! Now you can like, staple everything even faster than ever!" Nora shouted while jumping up and down on her bed. Jaune and Phyrrha could only look at each confused while Ren gave a slight sigh. "Tactics Nora. That does mean like thumbtacks. It means things such as team managing on the battlefield." Nora simply shrugged her shoulders as she she jumped on her back on her bed, somehow immediately under the covers. "Who caaaaaares! Let's all just get some sleep before we have to blow stuff up tomorrow!" Before Jaune could even voice his opinion and concern for having to "blow something up," Nora somehow was able to immediately knock out. Ren kind of gave an apologetic smile to Jaune and Phyrrha as he himself began getting into bed. "It's a gift."

Jaune stretched as he laughed at the pitying Ren and the… Energetically sleeping Nora. ('How can you sleep energetically?') "Well, I guess we can just call it a night like Nora. Goodnight guys." With prompt goodnight's from everyone (and somehow Nora?) Jaune was lying in bed thinking on Ozpin's words. 'I wonder why my family is gonna say… Ozpin made it seem like this was a really big deal.' While Jaune tried to stay positive about this, something about it couldn't help but make him feel worried. No, not worried. Scared? Dreading? Jaune couldn't describe what it was exactly, but there was this gut instinct that was telling him that something wasn't right about this new class. 'I'm sure it's nothing.' Jaune quickly set it to the side as he curled up in bed, instead filling his happy mind with thoughts about that girl who called him cute, tall, blonde, and scraggly. Whatever scraggly meant. But still, cute was in there somewhere!

 **AN: Hello! Hopefully you guys liked that! I tried to keep this all pretty upbeat and cheery since the story is focused around Jaune. But I wonder what Ozpin could've meant? Hmm... Anyways, please do leave a review! I'd love to hear from you guys on anything I could do to improve, or your thoughts or anything like that! Until next time!**


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